Bills Toronto Series Update: Standard tickets 90% sold for first three Series games; Premium VIP Packages available

OFSAA football championships also welcomed back to Rogers Centre during Series update press conference

TORONTO, ON - Bills Toronto Series organizers announced today that more than 90 per cent of standard tickets have been sold for the first three Bills Toronto Series Games (2008 and 2009). The several thousand remaining www.billsintoronto.com registrants will now be given the opportunity to purchase tickets.

As previously stated, there are Premium VIP packages available for the Series. These packages are now available for public sale. Premium VIP Packages, including 100 and 200 level seats, hospitality, tailgate parties and additional amenities, range in price from $350 to $575 per ticket per game. For more information on Premium VIP Packages visit www.billsintoronto.com/vip.

"We’d like to formally thank the province's football fans for stepping up and showing such enthusiasm for the Bills Toronto Series," said Phil Lind, Vice Chair, Rogers Communications Inc. "With the large majority of standard tickets sold, we are now pleased to offer Premium VIP Packages for public sale."

As part of a press conference held at Rogers Centre, Bills Toronto Series organizers also announced a sponsorship that will see the province’s finest high school football teams to return to Rogers Centre to play their championship games.

For several years the Metro Bowl, Golden Horseshoe Bowl, Western Bowl, Northern Bowl and National Capital Bowl - together comprising the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) boy’s football championships - were played at Rogers Centre. The championships were paired with CIS Vanier Cup festivities.

This fall, the Bills Toronto Series will be creating an outstanding championship environment for Ontario’s most important high school football games. As part of this experience the Bills Toronto Series will be sponsoring these games at Rogers Centre so that these games can be played at Rogers Centre in a controlled climate environment.

"The Bills Toronto Series has given high school football in Ontario – and the grassroots football community as a whole – a real boost with today’s announcement," said Mike Thorpe, OFSAA. “Playing in the Rogers Centre gives young football players an incredible championship experience to work towards, and takes late fall's inclement weather out of the equation for us as organizers. We are very appreciative of this generous donation."

Complete 2008 OFSAA Bowl Championship Series details – including dates – will be available in the coming weeks.

The Bills Toronto Series includes a regular season game each year (2008-2012) and preseason games in 2008, 2010 and 2012. The series concept received the endorsement of several key NFL committees and was then approved unanimously by the NFL owners prior to Super Bowl XLII in Arizona.

On December 7, with the 2008 NFL season reaching its culmination, the Bills will face division rival Miami at Rogers Centre. The game will be played at 4:00 p.m. EST and broadcast nationally in Canada on City TV and Rogers Sportsnet. The game will be the first NFL regular-season game ever played in Canada. The regular season game against the Dolphins will complement the already announced pre-season game on Thursday, August 14 which will see the Bills face the Pittsburgh Steelers at Rogers Centre. The Bills-Steelers game will be played at 7:30 P.M. EDT and will also be televised.